Domain trading is a margin business dressed up as a treasure hunt. The traders who make money treat it like inventory: buy below market, know your resale range before you pay, and keep the money moving. Here's the whole playbook.
Learn what actually resells
Short, pronounceable, category-relevant. If you can't picture a real business putting it on a sign, skip it. Living niches (AI, health, skilled trades, local services) beat clever puns every time.
Make your profit on the buy
Source from liquidation marketplaces, expired auctions, and closeouts — places where names are priced to move, not priced to dream. A name bought at $29 and sold at $149 is a 5x flip; the same name bought at $299 is a mistake.
Verify before you pay
Comparable sales, keyword demand, TLD strength. Run every candidate through a free valuation — thirty seconds now beats a dead $50 later.
Price for turnover, not trophies
2–5x your cost, sold this quarter, compounds into real money. 50x your cost, sold "someday," is a renewal bill with a story attached. Keep one or two lottery tickets if you must — flip the rest.
Sell where buyers checkout instantly
List on a marketplace with real payment processing, answer offers the same day, and bundle related names (a brand's full TLD set) to raise your average ticket. List your first flip →
Buy This, Skip That
✓ Worth buying
- Short brandables (2–3 syllables)
- Exact keywords in living niches
- Complete brand TLD sets (bundles)
- Liquidation-priced names with comps
✕ Walk away
- Anything near a trademark
- Hyphens, typos, random numbers
- 5+ word phrases
- "Appraised at $8,000" sales pitches